Hanmi Financial Corporation (HAFC): Análise de Pestle [Jan-2025 Atualizada]

No cenário intrincado do setor bancário comunitário, a Hanmi Financial Corporation (HAFC) está em uma interseção crítica de diversos desafios e oportunidades. Essa análise abrangente de pestles revela os fatores externos multifacetados que moldam a trajetória estratégica do banco, de complexidades regulatórias a inovações tecnológicas. Ao dissecar as dimensões políticas, econômicas, sociológicas, tecnológicas, legais e ambientais, exploramos como o HAFC navega no ecossistema financeiro dinâmico, particularmente no setor bancário asiático-americano, revelando informações que poderiam redefinir seu posicionamento competitivo e potencial de crescimento futuro.

Hanmi Financial Corporation (HAFC) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores Políticos

Ambiente regulatório para bancos

A partir de 2024, a Hanmi Financial Corporation opera sob estrita supervisão regulatória dos regulamentos bancários do Federal Reserve e da Califórnia. A supervisão total de ativos do Federal Reserve para bancos com US $ 10 a US $ 100 bilhões em ativos foi de aproximadamente US $ 1,8 trilhão em 2023.

Órgão regulatório	Mecanismo de supervisão	Requisitos de conformidade
Federal Reserve	Avaliação de adequação de capital	Taxa de capital mínimo de nível 1 de 8%
Departamento de Proteção Financeira da Califórnia	Supervisão bancária em nível estadual	Relatórios anuais de conformidade

Impacto da regulamentação bancária dos EUA

O setor bancário da comunidade enfrentou desafios regulatórios significativos em 2023, com 73 bancos comunitários que experimentam atividades de fusão ou aquisição.

• Custos de conformidade da Lei Dodd-Frank para bancos de médio porte: US $ 4,5 milhões anualmente
• Carga de conformidade regulatória: 24,3% das despesas operacionais
• Taxa de consolidação do banco comunitário: 3,7% em 2023

Tensões geopolíticas nos mercados financeiros

As interações do mercado financeiro americanas-Asiáticas em 2023 mostraram dinâmica complexa, com Transações bancárias transfronteiriças totalizando US $ 287 bilhões.

Região	Volume de transação bancária	Índice de Complexidade Regulatória
Coréia dos EUA	US $ 68,3 bilhões	7.2/10
U.S.-China	US $ 92,6 bilhões	8.5/10

Implicações da política comercial

Os serviços financeiros para comunidades asiáticas-americanas experimentaram influências políticas significativas em 2023.

• Empréstimos de negócios asiáticos-americanos: US $ 42,6 bilhões
• Suporte de política financeira direcionada: aumento de 6,3% em relação a 2022
• Volumes de transação de remessa: US $ 24,7 bilhões

Hanmi Financial Corporation (HAFC) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores econômicos

Sensibilidade às flutuações das taxas de juros do Federal Reserve

No quarto trimestre 2023, a margem de juros líquidos da Hanmi Financial Corporation ficou em 3,47%. O intervalo de taxa de juros de referência do Federal Reserve foi de 5,25% - 5,50% durante esse período.

Impacto da taxa de juros	2023 Métricas financeiras
Receita de juros líquidos	US $ 213,4 milhões
Razão de sensibilidade de juros	1.18
Rendimento da carteira de empréstimos	6.35%

Exposição ao cenário econômico diversificado da Califórnia

Hanmi Financial opera principalmente na Califórnia, com 89.6% de sua carteira de empréstimos concentrada no estado.

Indicadores econômicos da Califórnia	2023 dados
PIB do estado	US $ 3,59 trilhões
Taxa de desemprego	4.7%
Valor imobiliário comercial	US $ 1,2 trilhão

Desafios da potencial crise econômica em empréstimos imobiliários comerciais

O portfólio de empréstimos imobiliários comerciais da Hanmi Financial foi de US $ 1,87 bilhão em 2023, representando 42.3% de ativos totais de empréstimos.

Métricas imobiliárias comerciais	2023 valores
Empréstimos comerciais totais	US $ 1,87 bilhão
Empréstimos comerciais não performadores	2.3%
Reservas de perda de empréstimo comercial	US $ 47,5 milhões

Pressões competitivas no mercado bancário comunitário

O lucro líquido da Hanmi Financial para 2023 foi de US $ 98,6 milhões, com um retorno sobre o patrimônio líquido de 11.2%.

Métricas de desempenho competitivo	2023 dados
Resultado líquido	US $ 98,6 milhões
Retorno sobre o patrimônio	11.2%
Índice de custo / renda	54.3%

Hanmi Financial Corporation (HAFC) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores sociais

Mudanças demográficas nas comunidades asiáticas-americanas que afetam os serviços bancários

A partir de 2022, a população asiática-americana nos Estados Unidos atingiu 24 milhões, representando 7,2% da população total dos EUA. A Califórnia hospeda 36,5% da população asiática-americana, com concentrações significativas nas áreas metropolitanas de Los Angeles e de São Francisco.

Segmento demográfico	Tamanho da população	Taxa de penetração bancária
Coreano-americanos	1,9 milhão	82.3%
Chinês-americanos	5,4 milhões	88.6%
Nipo-americanos	1,6 milhão	91.2%

Crescente demanda por soluções bancárias digitais

As taxas de adoção bancária digital entre 18 a 40 faixas etárias atingiram 78,3% em 2023, com o uso bancário móvel em 67,5%.

Faixa etária	Adoção bancária digital	Uso bancário móvel
18-25	92.4%	85.6%
26-40	76.2%	64.3%
41-55	45.7%	32.1%

Nuances culturais em serviços financeiros

As preferências bancárias asiáticas-americanas demonstram características únicas com 63,7% de instituições preferidas com serviços multilíngues e entendimento cultural.

Preferência de idioma	Percentagem
Apenas inglês	36.3%
Serviços bilíngues	63.7%

Mudança de preferências do consumidor

Experiências bancárias personalizadas avaliadas em 72,4% dos clientes bancários asiáticos-americanos, com 58,6% dispostos a trocar de banco para mais serviços personalizados.

Preferência de serviço	Percentagem
Conselhos financeiros personalizados	72.4%
Ofertas personalizadas de produtos	64.2%
Personalização digital	58.6%

Hanmi Financial Corporation (HAFC) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores tecnológicos

Investimento em plataformas bancárias digitais e tecnologias bancárias móveis

A Hanmi Financial Corporation reportou US $ 12,7 milhões em investimentos em infraestrutura de tecnologia para plataformas bancárias digitais em 2023. Downloads de aplicativos para dispositivos bancários móveis aumentaram 37% em comparação com o ano anterior.

Categoria de investimento em tecnologia	2023 Despesas	Crescimento ano a ano
Plataforma bancária digital	US $ 12,7 milhões	18.3%
Desenvolvimento de aplicativos bancários móveis	US $ 4,2 milhões	37%
Segurança bancária online	US $ 3,6 milhões	22.5%

Desafios de segurança cibernética na proteção de dados financeiros

Investimento de segurança cibernética: US $ 8,5 milhões em 2023. Detectaram 427 tentativas potenciais de ameaças cibernéticas, atenuaram com sucesso 412 incidentes.

Métricas de segurança cibernética	2023 dados
Total de tentativas de ameaça cibernética	427
Incidentes mitigados com sucesso	412
Investimento de segurança cibernética	US $ 8,5 milhões

Adoção de IA e aprendizado de máquina

Implementou tecnologias de avaliação de risco orientadas por IA com investimento de US $ 6,3 milhões. Os modelos de aprendizado de máquina reduziram o tempo de avaliação de risco de crédito em 42%.

Aplicação de tecnologia da IA	Investimento	Melhoria de eficiência
Avaliação de risco IA	US $ 6,3 milhões	42% de redução de tempo
Atendimento ao cliente Chatbots	US $ 2,1 milhões	Resolução de consultas de 35%

Integração de soluções de fintech

Em parceria com 7 empresas de fintech para melhorar a eficiência operacional. Implementou o sistema de rastreamento de transações baseado em blockchain com investimento de US $ 4,9 milhões.

Categoria de integração de fintech	Investimento	Status de implementação
Parcerias Fintech	US $ 5,6 milhões	7 parcerias ativas
Sistema de transação blockchain	US $ 4,9 milhões	Totalmente operacional

Hanmi Financial Corporation (HAFC) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores Legais

Conformidade com os regulamentos bancários de Federal Reserve e FDIC

A partir do quarto trimestre 2023, a Hanmi Financial Corporation mantém um índice de capital de Nível 1 de 12,87% e a taxa de capital total de 14,12%, atendendo aos requisitos de capital regulatório do Federal Reserve.

Métrica regulatória	Status da conformidade do HAFC	Limiar regulatório
Índice de capital de camada 1	12.87%	8.0%
Índice de capital total	14.12%	10.0%
Razão de alavancagem	9.41%	4.0%

Desafios legais potenciais em empréstimos comunitários e práticas bancárias justas

Classificação da Lei de Reinvestimento da Comunidade (CRA): satisfatório Até o exame federal mais recente, com US $ 157,3 milhões em investimentos em desenvolvimento comunitário em 2023.

Requisitos regulatórios para protocolos de lavagem de dinheiro e conhecimentos de seu cliente

Despesas de conformidade para protocolos AML/KYC em 2023: US $ 4,2 milhões

Métrica de conformidade com LBA	2023 dados
Relatórios de atividades suspeitas arquivadas	87
Investigações de due diligence do cliente	1,243
Funcionários da equipe de conformidade	42

Riscos de litígios em andamento no setor de serviços financeiros

Reserva legal atual para litígios em potencial: US $ 3,7 milhões

Categoria de litígio	Número de casos ativos	Responsabilidade potencial estimada
Disputas contratadas	3	US $ 1,2 milhão
Investigações regulatórias	1	US $ 1,5 milhão
Reivindicações relacionadas ao emprego	2	US $ 1,0 milhão

Hanmi Financial Corporation (HAFC) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores Ambientais

Pressão crescente para práticas bancárias sustentáveis ​​e investimentos verdes

A partir de 2024, a Hanmi Financial Corporation alocou US $ 45,2 milhões para carteiras de investimentos sustentáveis. O segmento de investimento verde do banco cresceu 17,3% ano a ano.

Categoria de investimento verde	Valor do investimento ($ M)	Porcentagem de portfólio total
Energia renovável	22.6	8.4%
Tecnologia limpa	15.3	5.7%
Infraestrutura sustentável	7.3	2.9%

Riscos de mudanças climáticas que afetam o portfólio de empréstimos imobiliários comerciais

A avaliação de risco climático revela a exposição potencial de US $ 378,4 milhões em zonas imobiliárias comerciais de alto risco. As regiões propensas a inundações e suscetíveis de incêndios representam 22,6% do portfólio total de empréstimos imobiliários do banco.

Categoria de risco climático	Valor da exposição ($ m)	Orçamento de mitigação de risco ($ m)
Risco de inundação	187.2	15.6
Risco de incêndio florestal	121.5	9.8
Risco de terremoto	69.7	5.3

Aumento da demanda dos investidores por estratégias financeiras ambientalmente responsáveis

A demanda dos investidores por produtos financeiros focados em ESG aumentou 29,5%. Os produtos de investimento sustentável agora representam 12,7% das ofertas totais de gerenciamento de ativos da Hanmi Financial.

Requisitos regulatórios potenciais para relatórios de pegada de carbono no setor financeiro

Dados de emissões de carbono para Hanmi Financial Corporation:

• Emissões totais de carbono corporativo: 4.782 toneladas métricas CO2E
• Intensidade do carbono: 0,87 toneladas métricas por funcionário
• Custo de conformidade projetado para relatórios de carbono: US $ 1,2 milhão anualmente

Escopo de emissão	Emissões (toneladas métricas CO2E)	Meta de redução (%)
Escopo 1	1,243	15%
Escopo 2	2,376	22%
Escopo 3	1,163	18%

Hanmi Financial Corporation (HAFC) - PESTLE Analysis: Social factors

Core mission focuses on serving multi-ethnic communities, particularly the US-Korean Community (USKC) initiative.

Hanmi Financial Corporation's core social strategy is built on its founding mission to support multi-ethnic communities, with a clear and profitable focus on the U.S.-Korean Community (USKC). This isn't just a marketing slogan; it's a measurable revenue driver. For the second quarter of 2025, the USKC loan balances totaled $842 million, which represented approximately 13% of the total loan portfolio. This specialized focus allows the bank to maintain deep, sticky relationships with a high-growth demographic.

The commitment to this niche is further evidenced by the bank's deposit base. Corporate Korea deposits accounted for 14% of total deposits at the end of Q2 2025. To be fair, this is a slight dip from the 15% of total deposits reported in Q1 2025, but the underlying strategy remains strong. The bank even opened a representative office in Seoul, South Korea, in late 2024 to better support its USKC business initiative and capitalize on increasing foreign direct investment into the U.S.

Here's the quick math on the USKC initiative's scale as of mid-2025:

Metric (Q2 2025)	Amount/Percentage
USKC Loan Balances	$842 million
% of Total Loan Portfolio	13%
Corporate Korea Deposits	14% of Total Deposits
Q2 2025 Deposit Production from USKC	$61 million

Community Lending Division was named a 2025 Most Powerful Women in Banking Top Team by American Banker.

The social capital and public recognition Hanmi Bank has earned is defintely a competitive advantage. In a major industry nod, Hanmi Bank's Community Lending Division was recognized as one of the five American Banker's Most Powerful Women in Banking Top Teams for 2025 on October 23, 2025. This Top Team distinction highlights cross-functional departments with a majority of women that demonstrate significant organizational impact.

This award isn't just about diversity; it's a direct reflection of the team's measurable business performance, particularly in Small Business Administration (SBA) lending, a long-standing component of the bank's model. The team's leader, Anna Chung, Executive Vice President and Chief Community Lending Officer, was also named to the 2025 Most Powerful Women in Banking's Women to Watch list. This kind of high-profile recognition enhances the bank's reputation and trust within the small business and community lending sectors, which is crucial for continued growth.

Operates a significant physical network of 32 full-service branches across multiple states, which builds deep customer loyalty.

While many banks are shrinking their physical footprint, Hanmi Financial Corporation maintains a strong, community-focused presence with 32 full-service branches as of late 2025. This physical network is a critical social factor, especially for the multi-ethnic communities and small business clients the bank serves, where relationship-based banking still reigns supreme.

The branches, along with eight loan production offices and three loan centers, are strategically placed across nine states. This distribution ensures deep local roots and customer loyalty, especially in markets with large Asian-American populations.

• California
• Texas
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Virginia
• New Jersey
• New York
• Colorado
• Washington

Demographic growth in key operational markets (California, Texas, Georgia) supports specialized lending demand.

The bank's physical and lending strategy is deeply intertwined with favorable demographic trends. The states where Hanmi operates-California, Texas, and Georgia being key examples-are experiencing significant growth in the Asian-American population, including the Korean-American community. This demographic shift directly supports the bank's specialized lending model.

For instance, the bank's expansion into the Metro Atlanta region (Georgia) is a direct move to capitalize on this growth, as the region is home to the third largest Korean community in the U.S. Plus, the area is a major center for Korean manufacturing investment, particularly in the automobile and clean energy sectors, creating a clear demand for commercial and SBA loans that Hanmi is uniquely positioned to fulfill. This alignment of social trends and business strategy keeps their growth engine running.

Hanmi Financial Corporation (HAFC) - PESTLE Analysis: Technological factors

Industry trend is prioritizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve operational leverage and efficiency.

You are seeing an industry-wide shift where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is moving past pilot programs into core operations, and Hanmi Financial Corporation is not exempt from this pressure. The focus is on leveraging AI to drive operational efficiency and enhance risk management, which is defintely a necessity given the tight net interest margin (NIM) environment. For a regional bank, this means integrating AI into processes like fraud detection, compliance monitoring, and automated workflow for lending.

In 2025, financial institutions are planning to embed fintech into their digital banking experiences, with fraud detection/mitigation, digital banking, and data analytics being the top three technology investments. AI-driven solutions are key to this, allowing for better data-driven decisions and improved resiliency. For Hanmi Financial Corporation, this investment is a strategic imperative to maintain a competitive edge against larger, more technologically advanced institutions.

• Integrate Generative AI (GenAI) for internal knowledge management and customer service.
• Use predictive AI for enhanced credit risk modeling and early warning systems.
• Automate back-office loan processing to cut operating costs.

Must invest in new data infrastructure to meet the rigorous reporting requirements of the impending Basel III Endgame (B3E).

The Basel III Endgame (B3E) regulations, which were proposed to extend more granular and rigorous capital requirements to US regional and midsized banks, are a major technological driver. While the final rule publication was expected in 2024 with a proposed implementation date of July 1, 2025, the regulatory complexity is already forcing significant data and technology upgrades.

Meeting these new requirements is less about capital ratios and more about data infrastructure. Banks must create a single, centralized data repository to generate the complex financial reports necessary to prove compliance with the new capital, leverage, and liquidity ratio calculations. This is not an optional IT project; it's a massive, enterprise-wide effort that requires modernizing the entire capital infrastructure to ensure data accuracy and agility.

Here's the quick math: the proposed B3E changes require a complete overhaul of how risk-weighted assets (RWA) are calculated, replacing older, bespoke models with new expanded standardized approaches. This mandates a huge investment in data governance and IT systems, which will be a significant, unquantified expense for Hanmi Financial Corporation throughout the 2025 fiscal year.

Continued need to balance the physical branch network with robust digital platforms for diverse customer access.

Hanmi Financial Corporation operates a 'relationship-driven banking model' that requires a careful balance between its physical footprint and its digital offerings. As of early 2025, the bank maintains a network of 32 full-service branches and 8 loan production offices across several states, including California, Texas, and New York.

The challenge is that while commercial and small-to-midsize business (SMB) clients still value the personal touch of a branch and relationship manager, they also demand seamless, integrated digital tools. The company's strategy involves 'leveraging its extensive branch network and digital platforms' simultaneously. This dual-channel approach means technology spending must cover both modernizing the in-branch experience (e.g., tablets, smart ATMs) and continuously upgrading the digital platforms to ensure a smooth, integrated client experience.

What this estimate hides: the cost of maintaining a physical branch network while simultaneously competing with digital-only banks that have a lower cost-to-serve. The bank must ensure its digital platform is easy for commercial clients to integrate with their own internal technology, or they risk losing business to competitors who offer a more sophisticated and seamless digital partnership.

Cybersecurity investment is a defintely critical and growing expense to protect customer deposits and data.

Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT cost; it's a strategic risk management priority. The global cybersecurity spending is projected to reach approximately $213 billion in 2025, a significant jump from 2024, driven largely by the expanding threat landscape and the weaponization of AI by malicious actors.

For Hanmi Financial Corporation, protecting customer deposits and sensitive data is paramount to maintaining the trust vital to its community-focused model. The escalating sophistication of threats, including hyper-realistic phishing and adaptive malware, necessitates continuous, substantial investment in advanced security software and services. The US and Western Europe account for over 70% of global security spending in 2025, showing the high-stakes environment the bank operates in.

2025 Global Cybersecurity Spending Projection	Key Drivers of Increased Spending
Approximately $213 billion (Gartner estimate)	Weaponization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for attacks
Projected to grow 12.2% year-on-year (IDC estimate)	Increased regulatory scrutiny and compliance needs
Security software spending to rise 15.1% to $100.7 billion	Cloud adoption and securing cloud-native applications

This growing expense is a fixed cost of doing business in 2025. The bank must invest heavily in cloud-native security, identity and access management, and AI-powered threat detection to safeguard its digital assets and comply with stringent regulatory expectations.

Hanmi Financial Corporation (HAFC) - PESTLE Analysis: Legal factors

You're looking at Hanmi Financial Corporation (HAFC) and trying to map out the legal and regulatory landscape for the next few years. The main takeaway is that while the new Basel III Endgame rules are less punitive for regional banks than first feared, the persistent, intense scrutiny on Commercial Real Estate (CRE) concentration is the immediate, non-negotiable risk you need to model.

The regulatory environment is defintely tightening, but HAFC's strong credit quality gives it a defensive cushion. Still, the new capital rules and the CRE focus demand clear, proactive balance sheet management right now.

The revised Basel III Endgame (B3E) framework is expected to be finalized in late 2025, with less severe capital increases for regional banks than initially proposed.

The Basel III Endgame (B3E) framework is the big one. It's the domestic implementation of final global capital standards, and it will redefine how banks calculate risk-weighted assets (RWA). The initial proposal suggested a significant capital hike, but the revised framework, which is expected to be finalized in late 2025, is signaling a less severe impact for regional banks like Hanmi Financial Corporation compared to the largest global institutions.

The transition to the new domestic framework is slated to begin on July 1, 2025, with full compliance required by July 1, 2028. This multi-year phase-in gives management time to adjust, but the clock is ticking. You can't wait for the final rule to start modeling the impact on your loan book and capital ratios. It's a slow-moving but unavoidable capital increase.

Compliance with the elimination of the Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (AOCI) opt-out is phased in through June 30, 2028.

The elimination of the Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (AOCI) opt-out is a major technical change for banks that previously used it. AOCI includes unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities, and now, for covered banks, these fluctuations must be included in Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital. This means more capital volatility, especially when interest rates move.

For affected Category III and IV banking organizations, the phase-in period runs for three years, ending on June 30, 2028. Here's the quick math on how the phase-in works, essentially forcing more of that volatility onto the balance sheet each year:

• Year 1 (Starting July 1, 2025): Banks can exclude 75% of the AOCI adjustment from CET1 capital.
• Year 2: Exclusion steps down to 50%.
• Year 3: Exclusion steps down to 25%.
• Year 4 (Starting July 1, 2028): Exclusion is 0%-full compliance is required.

Heightened regulatory scrutiny on Commercial Real Estate (CRE) loan concentrations remains a continuous risk for all regional banks.

This is where the rubber meets the road for Hanmi Financial Corporation. Regulators have long-standing guidance that triggers heightened scrutiny when a bank's total CRE loans exceed 300% of its total capital. For regional banks, CRE exposure is a structural issue, and it's a major focus for examiners, especially given the ongoing weakness in the office and certain multifamily sectors.

Hanmi Financial Corporation's CRE loan concentration is high. As of September 30, 2025 (Q3 2025), their CRE loans represented 60.4% of total loans of $6.46 billion. Here's what that looks like against the regulatory threshold:

Metric	Q3 2025 Value	Regulatory Threshold for Scrutiny
Total Loans	$6.46 billion	N/A
CRE Loans (60.4% of Total Loans)	Approx. $3.90 billion	N/A
Stockholders' Equity (Total Capital Proxy)	$779.6 million	N/A
CRE Concentration Ratio (CRE Loans / Total Capital)	Approx. 500.26%	300%

A ratio of over 500% puts Hanmi Financial Corporation firmly in the zone of heightened regulatory attention. This means more frequent examinations, potential mandates for higher capital reserves against CRE loans, and pressure to tighten underwriting standards or reduce the concentration.

Strong credit quality, with nonperforming assets at a low $21.4 million in Q3 2025, mitigates immediate regulatory concern.

To be fair, Hanmi Financial Corporation's actual credit quality provides a strong counter-narrative to the high CRE concentration ratio. The bank's nonperforming assets (NPA) stood at a low $21.4 million as of September 30, 2025. This figure represents only 0.27% of total assets, which is a sign of effective, conservative asset management.

This strong performance in managing problem loans will definitely help mitigate the immediate, most severe regulatory actions that might otherwise accompany a 500%+ CRE concentration ratio. It shows the quality of the portfolio is currently sound, even if the structural risk is elevated. The credit quality is excellent.

Hanmi Financial Corporation (HAFC) - PESTLE Analysis: Environmental factors

You're looking at Hanmi Financial Corporation's (HAFC) environmental footprint, and the picture is typical for a regional bank: its direct impact is small, but its indirect, financed emissions are the real risk. The key takeaway is that HAFC is net-positive on sustainability according to an external rating, but the lack of granular, recent Scope 3 data is a blind spot that needs to be factored into your long-term risk model.

Here's the quick math: HAFC's Q3 EPS of $0.73 shows they're making the right moves. Your next step is to model the impact of a 50 basis point (bp) cut in the Federal Funds Rate on their 3.22% NIM, assuming a 70% deposit beta, to stress-test their 2026 earnings guidance.

The Upright Project gives Hanmi Financial Corporation a net impact ratio of 24.2%, indicating an overall positive sustainability impact.

For an initial, holistic view of value creation, the net impact ratio (NIR) from The Upright Project offers a good starting point. HAFC registers an overall positive sustainability impact with a NIR of 24.2%. This score measures the net sum of a company's costs and benefits across four dimensions: environment, health, society, and knowledge. The positive rating suggests the bank's core business model-primarily lending to and serving small and middle-market businesses-creates more societal benefit than environmental cost.

This external validation is defintely a plus for ESG-focused investors. It means the company's services are fundamentally aligned with societal needs, which is a strong foundation.

Positive value creation is noted in the Societal Infrastructure category of their ESG profile.

The positive value creation is most significant in the Societal Infrastructure category, plus Taxes and Jobs. As a community bank, HAFC's lending activities directly support the growth of small businesses and the stability of local economies. This is where the bank earns its positive impact, essentially funding the foundational elements of community growth that other, larger institutions often overlook.

The core business is the positive driver. Here's a look at the primary impact categories:

Impact Category (Upright Project)	Impact Type	HAFC Relevance
Societal Infrastructure	Positive	Financing small business and community development, which builds local economic stability.
Taxes	Positive	Corporate tax payments contribute to public services and infrastructure.
Jobs	Positive	Direct employment and indirect job creation through lending to small businesses.
GHG Emissions	Negative	Emissions from physical branches and financed emissions from mortgage portfolios.

Negative environmental impact primarily stems from GHG emissions related to brick-and-mortar operations and mortgages.

The primary negative environmental impact for a bank like HAFC is not in its direct operations (Scope 1 and 2), but in its financed emissions (Scope 3, Category 15: Investments). While HAFC has taken steps to mitigate its operational footprint-like moving its headquarters to the LEED-certified Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles-the real exposure comes from the loans they hold.

The negative contribution in the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions category is largely driven by:

• Mortgages provided by brick-and-mortar banks.
• GHG emissions from their physical branch network.
• Mortgage loans for corporations.

What this estimate hides is the actual volume. HAFC does not publicly disclose its Scope 1, 2, or 3 emissions in tons of CO2e in its most recent 2023 ESG Report, which is a gap in transparency that investors should note. Without a quantified Scope 3 baseline, it's hard to measure progress against climate-related financial risk (CRFR).

Commitment to Corporate Sustainability oversight rests with the Boards of Directors of Hanmi Financial Corporation and Hanmi Bank.

The formal structure for managing these environmental and social risks is in place. Corporate Sustainability oversight rests with the Boards of Directors of Hanmi Financial Corporation and Hanmi Bank. Specifically, the Nominating and Corporate Governance (NCG) Committee has an ESG Sub-committee that monitors the Company's commitment to responsible environmental practices, alongside social responsibility and governance. This direct Board-level accountability is crucial for ensuring that environmental considerations are integrated into the overall corporate strategy, not just treated as a compliance exercise.

The Board is actively engaged. This ensures ESG is a strategic priority, not an afterthought.